Beautiful Stranger
by Shura the Noble Pirate
Summary: What started out as a chance meeting might turn out to be so much more for a workaholic police detective named Kouga and a lonely book store employee named Ayame... [KA, MS, InuKik] [AU] [Taken over from Reall Goodchild]
1. A Walk in the Park

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Well, a long time ago, I promised Reall-Goodchild that I would take over her "Beautiful Stranger" fic, so here it is. I didn't change anything from the first chapter, except maybe a couple of details on Ayame's clothing and her height. Then why didn't I post this earlier? Because I was waiting until I was finished with chapter two. Oh well. Hope everyone enjoys this. Please review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own InuYasha. Get over it. I'm just doing this for my own amusement.

**Beautiful Stranger**

Chapter 1 : A Walk in the Park

Kouga Ookami was young, tall, and handsome. He had everything he had ever

wanted in life: a great job, great friends, nice house, expensive car. Everything was perfect. Everything, that is, but his love life, which was currently at a stand still. He didn't pay much attention to that though; he had to stay focused on his job if he wanted to keep the pace which his life was going at. His last girlfriend had been driven away because of this, saying that he loved his job more than he loved her.

Today was an ordinary day. He had gotten up at 5:00 AM, at work by 6:00, worked until 11:30, and went to lunch. He went to the park near his office as he usually did for his routine walk before heading over to the coffee shop on the corner for lunch. It was on the way back that his whole life would change.

He was walking down the usual path in small park, passing young couples, joggers, people walking their dogs, and others enjoying the their lunch hour in the scenic park on the cold autumn afternoon. He had on some dark grey slacks and a blue dress shirt under his long black coat, with a white scarf wrapped around his neck and tucked neatly under the top of his jacket. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of the coat, shoulders raised slightly, trying to protect himself from the harsh winds. It was nearing winter, around the start of December. Surprisingly, they had yet to get snow, but judging by the bitterness of the wind, that would soon change.

He was nearly through the park, only one or two people around him, when he heard the scream. He stopped and looked dead ahead, disgusted with what he saw. There was a young woman with red hair, dressed in a brown suede coat and jeans, battling with a slightly older looking man for possession of a large shoulder bag that obviously belonged to her.

"Let go of it, you jerk!" he heard the woman yell as she yanked the bag towards her. The man grunted and punched the woman's face. She yelped as she fell to the ground, letting go of the bag, raising her hand to her bruised cheek. The man, seeing that he now had full possession of the bag, took off in Kouga's direction.

There was no way Kouga was about to let this guy get away with that woman's bag. The guy was about to run past Kouga, but he was stopped as Kouga grabbed his arm with a death grip. "Where do you think you're going?" Kouga snarled at the man, who was dressed in all black except for a denim jacket.

The man simply ignored Kouga and tried to punch him. Kouga easily blocked punch and kicked the man in the stomach, sending him to the ground. Kouga bent down and grabbed the purse before the thief could. He looked over his shoulder to see if the woman was all right or not. Then, he turned back to the criminal only to see that he was gone, fleeing the scene before he could be hurt anymore or be arrested.

"Damn," Kouga muttered to himself. He turned back around and walked towards the redheaded woman who was now standing, rubbing her sore cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked as he stopped in front of her.

She looked up at him. She was a good head shorter than him; around five-foot-five was his guess. She lowered her hand and smiled gratefully at him and nodded. "Yeah I'm fine," she reassuringly told him.

"Good," Kouga smiled back at her as he handed her, her bag. "I believe this is yours."

"Yes, thank you," she sighed with relief, taking the bag from him. "I can't tell you how grateful I am. I carry everything in here; I would have had to close off all my bank accounts and suspend my credit cards... It just would have been messy to say the least!"

"No problem," Kouga replied, waving her off. "I'm just sorry the bastard got away."

"Well, at least we got my purse back," she said. "Besides, I'm sure he'll be caught eventually."

Kouga nodded. "I'm Kouga by the way. Kouga Ookami," he introduced himself, holding out a hand to shake.

The woman smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Ookami," she chimed, shaking his hand.

"Please, just call me Kouga," he said with a grin, staring into her big emerald-green eyes.

"Alright... Kouga," she laughed. She lifted her left arm and pulled back the sleeve to reveal a silver watch. "Oh man, I'm sorry, but I really have to get going. It was nice meeting you Kouga." She touched his arm with a gloved-covered hand and walked past him, in the opposite direction he had been going.

Kouga waved before suddenly thinking of something. "Wait!" he called to her. The woman turned to face him. "What's your name?" he asked.

The redhead smiled. "Ayame!" she answered loudly, so he could hear her. She waved and began to walk again.

_Ayame…_ he thought, watching her leave with a small smile on his face. _I'll have to remember that name.  
_

**A/N:** Hi, it's me again. Well, I have an important message: I know I do not update my fics frequently no matter how much I would love to, so I created an email for a mailing list. Basically, what will happen is that you email me, and whenever I update this fic, I will email you and tell you that I did update. If you decide to do this, please give me a name to call you and to add in my address book and state which fic you want to be on the list for. My email is ephiny(underscore)jones(at)yahoo(dot)com. Please visit my profile page for more info.


	2. All in a Day's Work

**A/N: **Hi again. Well, here's chapter two. Now, THIS one I wrote completely. And we get to see more of the cast! -smiles- I'll mention right now the couples will be: Kouga/Ayame, Miroku/Sango, and InuYasha/Kikyou. If you're not a fan of Inu/Kik, well, either ignore it or don't read. Sorry. Again, please review and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer: **What? You want a double-take? Fine. I don't own InuYasha. Get over it. XP

**Beautiful Stranger**

Chapter 2: All in a Day's Work

Ayame ran into the store, panting slightly for breath. "I'm back!" she chimed loudly, rushing back to behind the cash register. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" She quickly took off her jacket, revealing a long-sleeved white sweater as she placed her purse along with her jacket on the coat rack that was shared between her and her co-worker.

Her co-worker did a double take when she saw her friend, her long black ponytail swishing behind her as she nearly gaped at her. "Ayame-chan! What happened!" she demanded, spotting the new bruise the redhead had on her cheek from the fight in the park.

With a faint blush of embarrassment burning on her cheeks, Ayame turned her face away, trying to hide behind the thick locks of her hair. "It's nothing, Sango. Don't worry," she tried to reassure her. However, it didn't work.

"Ayame, who attacked you?" she asked, staring at her friend sternly, but her eyes filled with concern.

"Some guy who was trying to mug me in the park on my way here," Ayame answered after a heavy sigh.

"You were almost—" Sango began, when she was cut off.

"Big news!" a loud voice exclaimed.

"Huh?" both the girls asked and turned to see their boss walking over to them with a big, proud smirk on his face.

"That's right! I got big news for us!" he repeated. He opened his mouth to finish when he caught sight of Ayame's "new look" as well, his amber eyes widening. "What the hell happened to you?"

Ayame didn't feel like talking though. She smiled nervously at the two. "Umm…You know, I really got to finish keying that new order…" her voice trailed off, seeing how the look she was getting from the both of them told her the lie wasn't going to suffice. The redhead sighed heavily and explained to the both of them the whole story, and the two stared at her in shock.

"Okay, I'm going to give you a ride to work from now on," Sango answered.

"Sango, that isn't needed!" Ayame argued.

"It is," InuYasha stated firmly. "Ayame, this city is no longer safe! You can't just go walking off by yourself anymore!"

The redhead looked down, trying to busy herself with typing in the order from yesterday into the computer, trying to block out his words. Oh yeah, she knew the city wasn't safe anymore. She learned that ten years ago.

"Wait, you said you were 'almost' mugged….What happened?" Sango asked.

"A man came and fought him off and gave me back my purse," she said, looking back up.

"A man!" both InuYasha and Sango questioned loudly.

Ayame stared back down on the counter shyly and nodded, inwardly blushing as she thought of the handsome stranger she met with long black hair and stunning blue eyes. "Yes," she answered.

"Who was he?" Sango asked, snapping Ayame back into reality, and her friend looked up.

"I don't….Wait, he said his name was Kouga Ookami."

InuYasha growled softly, narrowing his amber eyes. "Did you say Ookami?"

"Yes…why?" Ayame inquired, both her and her friend staring at him confused.

"Keh, I know that bastard. We went to the same high school…"

Both girls knew that look. He had that I'm-pissed-off-at-the-world-and-I'm-going-to-rant-about-it look on his face. They knew they had to change topics quickly and get his mind off it before either he started on the rant and wouldn't shut up until closing or something got broken.

"InuYasha," Sango carefully began. "What was the big news you wanted to tell us?"

That did the trick. Upon hearing that he still hadn't told them the news, his earlier expression melted away as he smirked proudly at the two. "You two know that film star Miroku Houshi? Well, he just wrote his biography….and I got him to agree to do a book signing here."

"**WHAT**?" Ayame demanded, shocked. "You got **HIM** to come **HERE**!"

"Yup," he confirmed proudly, an arrogant smirk on his face.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Did you have to get **HIM**?..." she asked, disgusted. "Couldn't you get another celebrity?"

"Oh come on, Sango-chan…" Ayame almost begged. "He's not that bad."

"The man's disgusting!" she exclaimed. "He's a sick pervert!" Everyone knew she was right and kept quiet at that statement. "I just read this morning that he got caught having an affair with **ANOTHER **co-star of his!"

The redhead smirked teasingly at her friend. "Why Sango…what were you doing reading about **HIM**?... Could it be that you secretly like him?"

"Of course not!" she snapped, glaring at her friend.

"Then you won't mind it if he comes here… Come on, Sango-chan…it'll be good for the store…" Ayame continued.

"Alright," she sighed heavily in defeat. "I'll deal with it."

InuYasha smirked. "Good, now get to work you two! I'm not paying you to stand around!" he declared, and the girls smirked at each other before jokingly saluting him before keying in the new orders and arranging the books.

Yup, it was just another day at work.


	3. I Hate Mondays

**A/N: **Ack! So sorry about not updating in so long! I finally got some inspiration for this fic again, and hopefully, chapt 4 will come soon too! Again, I am so, so, so, so, so, SO sorry! Please forgive!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own _InuYasha_. Don't sue please.

**Beautiful Stranger**

Chapter 3: I Hate Mondays…

Kouga had barely been back in his office for ten minutes to take a sip of his coffee when one of his co-workers called for him.

"Ookami! There you are!" a young man with short reddish-brown hair and freckled cheeks came running in.

The blue-eyed man rolled his eyes before sighing heavily. "What is it, Shippo?..." he grumbled before finally taking a sip of his precious coffee.

"I've been trying to reach you for the past hour!... There's been another attack!"

At hearing that, the hot coffee that was in Kouga's mouth immediately was spat out. "What?!" he demanded, spinning in his chair to face his fellow detective.

Shippo sat down in his chair, panting, having actually looked for the dark-haired detective for almost the full hour. "We got a call an hour ago… It's another attack…just like the others…"

"Damnit…" Kouga growled as he set down his coffee, his free hand rubbing his forehead for a second, before he looked up at him. "…Who was it this time?..."

"This time, it was a model… Her name was Kagura Kaze," Shippo answered. "The body's already over at the M.E.'s…"

"Where are the others?"

"Ginta and Takkun are over at the M.E.'s, Hakkakku's at the crime scene, and the lieutenant wants to see you," he replied.

He sighed heavily and nodded. "Thanks kid," he grumbled before placing his coffee mug down, standing up, and walking towards the police lieutenant's office. When he finally reached there, he knocked on the door, waited for the "come in," then actually stepped inside the office, shutting the door behind him. "You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" Kouga asked.

Kaede looked up from her paperwork and sighed. "Yes, I did, Detective Ookami…" she calmly answered.

_Shit, this can't be good…_ he thought bitterly as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

She sighed heavily and stood up, looking down at young detective before her. "Just exactly where were you this morning, Kouga?" she asked.

"I went to get a sandwich and take a brief walk, when I had to help another citizen from getting their purse snatched," he responded, looking straight into her eye.

Another sigh came from her as she rubbed her right temple. "Did you report him?"

Kouga sighed heavily. "He got away from me, but I gave his description to the nearest street cop… I'm sure he—"

"That's alright. Sadly, one purse-snatcher in this city isn't going to matter much against the crime wave…" she interrupted in a tired, defeated voice. He was about to speak up when she started again. "But we have more important matters at hand to discuss… We believe the next targeted celebrity is Miroku Houshi. He received a threat this morning from an anonymous source. Normally, we wouldn't handle this, but in light of recent events…"

"The Commissioner wants us to take charge," Kouga finished for her.

Kaede smirked wryly. "Always one of the sharp ones…" she chuckled softly before looking at him seriously. "I'm making you and the rest of your unit his personal bodyguards and escorts."

At that, Kouga's blue eyes shot up in shock. "What?!" he demanded, standing up. "Lieutenant—"

However, Kaede interrupted again. "Kouga, I know this serial killer case is important to you…" she began, "But you cannot allow it to cloud your judgment… You know as well as I do that if we can either catch this guy in the act or at least stop him from killing another person, then we would have done our job…"

The blue-eyed homicide detective hung his head. "Yeah, I know…" he mumbled in agreement.

"Good," Kaede began, "Now, head over to the M.E.'s and give Takkun and Ginta the details. Hakkakku's already been informed."

"Will do," Kouga commented as he stood up and turned to leave. However, his hand hovered over the doorknob, and he looked down. "…How is she?..." he asked, trying his best to sound casual.

A sad, half-smile formed on the older lieutenant's face as she answered, "Kagome is doing well… She's a year away from completely medical school."

Still not facing his boss, he nodded. "That's good," he murmured before leaving her office. He made his way back to his desk to grab his jacket and his keys and went on his way of the precinct, shaking his head. "…I hate Mondays…" he grumbled as he reached his car.


	4. At the End of the Day

**A/N:** -le gasp- What is this? Another chapter? So soon? The end of the world is coming, ahh!... Lol. But yes, surprise, surprise, here comes another chapter! Now, it may take me a little bit longer to get chapter five done (I need to plan the details out a little bit more), but I should have it up before Halloween (God willing). But, for now, please enjoy chappie four! Sorry it's not as long as three!

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own InuYasha…and the original idea for this fic was Reall's. Thank them for it.

**Beautiful Stranger**

Chapter 4: At the End of the Day

Despite all her protests, Sango was escorting Ayame back to her tiny apartment after they had closed up the book store. Her dark-haired friend advised her to start carrying mace in her purse, and Ayame had to reassure Sango for almost five minutes that she would be alright if she didn't call her tomorrow morning when she left her apartment. The two hugged and said night, and Ayame went inside her apartment.

She wasn't annoyed with Sango's behavior though. She knew she was just merely worried and protective over her friends.

A young, pale, blond-haired woman stepped into the living room, her ice-blue eyes filled with concern. "Ayame…where have you been?" she asked.

Ayame couldn't help but almost sigh at yet ANOTHER person being worried about her. "I'm fine, Ephiny," she began, "Sango just wanted to walk me home, so I had to wait until we were completely done at the store."

"…And that bruise was the reason she walked you home?" Ephiny correctly guessed.

"Ephiny, can't this wait till morning?..." Ayame asked. Truth be told, the young redhead was tired, and right now, she wanted nothing more than a quick snack, a nice, warm shower, and to go to sleep. "I'm fine, really."

Her roommate didn't budge. "Ayame, I want you to tell me what is going on…"

The redheaded girl sighed and sat down on the couch, the blond following in suit. "I got mugged this morning on my way to work," she began and kept going, cutting off Ephiny when she was going to voice her concerns, "Don't worry though. I'm alright, and I got my purse back. Some guy stopped him and gave me back my purse." The two sat in silence for a moment, and Ayame was getting quite annoyed being under Ephiny's intense gaze and was about to say something, when her roommate finally spoke.

"What was his name?" she asked casually.

"Huh?" she asked, blinking in confusion, the sudden question catching her off-guard. "Uh, his name is Kouga Ookami," she answered. "Why?"

A faint smile crossed Ephiny's face as she ruffled Ayame's red hair. "Because I'd like to know who to thank for protecting my little cousin," she answered with the hint of a teasing tone to her voice.

Ayame smiled but playfully swiped Ephiny's hand away. "I'm not a baby, Ephiny," she retorted, sticking her tongue out.

However, Ephiny only kept laughing. "But you are my younger cousin!" she argued, patting Ayame on the head, which ensued a five-minute pillow fight on the couch, before the two shared a late dinner and went to bed.

_**-( -:- )-**_

It was nearly 10:30 that night when Kouga finally made it back to his home. Granted, he lived alone, and he had no immediate family members living with him, or a significant other or kids to worry about, so all his paycheck could be focused upon himself—hence the house. It was on the smaller side, only have three bedrooms, and one-and-a-half bathrooms, but it was very neat and well-kept.

He dropped his gun and badge and wallet on the kitchen counter before he fixed himself up a small glass of scotch on the rocks. Now, Kouga wasn't an alcoholic, but he did enjoy going out with the guys for a couple of beers some times or fixing himself up a drink before bed, but that was it. Sipping it already, he started making his way towards his room.

Kouga tossed his jacket onto the back of the chair and kicked his shoes into his closet before undoing the first three buttons on his shirt. He sat down on the bed, placing his drink on the nightstand before he removed his socks and let down his long, black hair. Finishing his drink, he checked his messages (nothing new or important, as usual), before getting under the covers and falling asleep soon himself, trying to prepare himself for whatever might happen tomorrow.

…And Lord knows he was going to need it…


	5. The Fates Are Conspiring

**A/N:** Here's chapter five! It's a bit longer than the other ones. But, hopefully, more drama, suspense, and humor to come!...Oh, and romance too! I haven't forgotten that, lol. Anyways, sadly, I have a term paper due in a couple of weeks, so I won't have the next one up so quickly…but I'll try to have it updated before the beginning of December. DON'T hold me to that, but that's my goal. So, leave me a review! –smiles-

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own _InuYasha_ or the beginning concept (that was Reall's).

**Beautiful Stranger**

Chapter 5: The Fates Are Conspiring…

"Ayame…Ayame, wake up…" Ephiny softly told her, gently shaking her cousin's shoulder. The redhead softly murmured and stirred, slowly waking up. Ephiny silently left, leaving a cup of coffee on Ayame's nightstand, giving her cousin the privacy to get ready.

She hated it when she had to open the shop… Oh well, at least InuYasha would be there so she wouldn't be by herself. Those mornings really sucked. Ayame sat up, yawning, and started drinking the coffee her cousin had left her. Once she had finished the cup, she got out of bed and opened up her closet to pick out her clothes for the day.

Rubbing the sleep out of her left eye, she stared at the clothes in her closet. After a moment, she pulled out a long-sleeved red blouse and a pair of black slacks from her closet. She walked over to her underwear drawer to retrieve her socks and some other items. Ayame walked down the hallway into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

_**-( -:- )-**_

Kouga groaned as his alarm clock began blaring, and he slammed his hand down upon the off button, making silence consume the room for a couple of moments before he yawned and groaned loudly, crawling out of bed.

"Damn movie stars…always needing someone to cover their asses…" Kouga grumbled, scratching his back, as he made his way to his shower.

He understood why they were protecting Miroku, but he still felt it was a waste of time. Surely someone as famous and rich as Mr. Houshi could afford top-of-the-line bodyguards, leaving them time to look for the serial killer and catch him before he killed again. Besides, they weren't even sure the person who had threatened the movie star was indeed the serial killer or just a crazed stalker. Personally, though he would never say it to his superior, Kouga thought it was the latter.

Drying himself off, Kouga went to his closet and opened it up. He grabbed a pair of gray dress slacks, then a light blue, button-down dress shirt with a navy blue undershirt. He slid on a pair of dark blue socks, then went back to the kitchen to not only pick up his badge and wallet but also to start up the coffee maker. Kouga went back to his bedroom and brushed his teeth and brushed his hair and pulled it into a neat ponytail.

Normally Kouga wouldn't go through all the trouble to get ready for just another day at work, but the lieutenant wanted everyone to make the precinct proud…which translated into "clean up, look nice, do this or I'll put your ass either on traffic duty or behind a desk." At least he didn't have the morning shift—Takkun had that pleasure. He had to grin as he filled his thermos with coffee; he knew how much Takkun hated waking up in the morning.

Finally ready, Kouga grabbed his keys and thermos, picking up a gray blazer from the coat rack as he left his house, and started making his way down the station.

_**-( -:- )-**_

Ayame plopped down at the kitchen table, trying to spread peanut butter on her toast while she was still half-asleep. Ephiny looked up from the paper, concerned. "Ayame, you seem really tired… Maybe I should drive you to work this morning," she offered.

However, the young redhead shook her head and yawned softly. "No, I'm fine…I just need another cup of coffee," Ayame argued before taking a bite of her toast.

"You're awfully dressed up for working at the bookstore…meeting someone after your shift?" Ephiny teased.

She almost glared at her cousin as she filled herself another cup of coffee. "No," she answered and took a sip before remembering they had been so wrapped up in her mugging last night that she had forgotten to Ephiny the news about the bookstore. "Well, you know Miroku Houshi?..." she asked.

Ephiny nodded, folding up her paper. "Who in Japan hasn't?"

"Well…he just wrote his biography…and is going on a book signing tour…"

Now her cousin looked shocked. "And he's going to the bookstore?... YOUR bookstore?!" she demanded, her blue eyes widening in surprise. Ayame nodded with a small grin, drinking some more of her coffee, waking up more. Ephiny leaned back in her seat and smiled. "Well, good. It's nice to see your bookstore being recognized. Though I wonder how he managed to pull THAT one off…"

"I don't know…" Ayame began, "He never said."

"Well, at any rate, you need to get going," Ephiny replied after glancing at the kitchen clock. "You know how much InuYasha hates for you to be late when you're opening."

"Eh, he's probably just NOW waking up…" Ayame argued but got up and placed her empty mug in the sink before back to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a high ponytail instead of her usual pig tails; then, she put on some make-up, a rarity for her, mainly just to cover her bruise. Normally InuYasha wouldn't care, but with Miroku Houshi coming in today for his first visit to the bookstore, he wanted everyone to look their best.

Finished, she back into the living room and picked up her purse. "Bye Ephiny!" she chimed before leaving.

"Bye Ayame!" she called out just before the door slammed shut. Shaking her head, Ephiny laughed softly under her breath before she finished up her own mug of coffee and decided to get ready for work.

_**-( -:- )-**_

InuYasha yawned loudly as he woke up. Smirking, he made his way over to his girlfriend sitting on the vanity and wrapped his arms around her and kissed his neck before nuzzling it slightly. The faintest traces of a smile formed on Kikyou's face. "Morning," she replied softly, putting the finishing touches on her make-up.

"Good morning," he responded. He looked into the mirror and smiled at their reflection. "Have I told you lately that you're beautiful?"

Kikyou smiled and put on the necklace he had given her for Valentine's Day. "Yes, you did…MANY times last night," she answered.

"Well…how about 'I love you'?"

She closed her eyes and smiled faintly, refraining from laughing. "Yes, you said that too…" Kikyou looked back at him over her shoulder. "And I would say that you could say either of those again, but we both have to go to work."

"Okay, good point," he agreed, getting up and trying to rummage through their closet for a suit that looked nice on him. He hated wearing stuffy clothes such as this, but with the publicity they would hopefully be getting, he did need to look professional.

He finally decided grabbed a black suit and a white dress shirt and black dress shoes and jumped into the shower. Kikyou stood up and finished buttoning her blouse before putting on her red suit jacket that came with her red mini-skirt. A couple of minutes later, when Kikyou had finished gathering her things, InuYasha left the shower, halfway dressed again. "Thanks again for getting Miroku to come to the store," he told her, kissing her cheek. She returned it.

"You're welcome," she said, picking up her purse and bag. "Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?" she asked, walking out of the apartment with him, waiting for the elevator.

InuYasha smirked. "Tell that bastard to rot in Hell," he finally answered.

The elevator door opened, and the young couple stepped inside. Kikyou looked over at him with a small smile. "If I told him that…your brother would fire me," she responded as the elevator door closed.

_**-( -:- )-**_

"Hello, Kouga," Kaede replied, already awaiting him at his desk when the dark-haired detective came in.

He nodded. "Lieutenant," he responded, wondering what was up as he came over to his desk.

"You're going on a trip," she replied, a half-smile on her face.

"To where?..." he asked suspiciously.

"You're heading over to the Black Moon Bookstore. Miroku Houshi is arriving there this afternoon, and I want my best detective to check out the place to make sure it can be secured," Kaede answered with a faint smile.

Kouga rolled eyes, an annoyed expression to his face. "…You're only calling me your 'best detective', because you want me over there…" he grumbled.

Her smile never faded. "Someone has to do it, Kouga," she replied.

He sighed heavily. "Alright…" he groaned, turning to leave off to the bookstore.


	6. I've Seen You Before

**A/N:** Hello again! I bring a new chapter for you all to enjoy! It is shorter than the last one, but I think it's still good. Next one should be longer. Hope you all enjoy it! Leave me reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _InuYasha_ or any of its characters, and this idea was in part Reall's, and I do have their consent to take over.

**Beautiful Stranger**

Chapter Six: I've Seen You Before!

InuYasha was just putting the key in the front door when Ayame came running up. He stopped to look back and see the redhead before smirking faintly. "You clean up nice," he teased.

Ayame rolled her eyes. "Oh, and who are you? You can't possibly be my boss, because there's no way that scruffy InuYasha would look that good in a suit," she countered. He glared at her for the comment, she grinned, and they shared a chuckle before he unlocked the store door and entered the security code so the alarm would not go off when they stepped inside.

"Wow," Ayame started as she turned on the lights, "I can't believe he's actually going to be here in just a few hours!"

"Yeah, I know," InuYasha agreed as he started looking over the displays and double checking the lighting as Ayame went to start up the computers and to check on the registers.

"By the way…how did YOU get him to come here?" Ayame asked curious, counting the money to make sure it was all there.

He smirked at her. "I have one hell of a girlfriend," he answered.

She smiled slightly as she bit back her laugh. Sure, Kikyou could be a little too serious some times, but she was good for him; she encouraged him and helped to calm his temper and above all, she made him happy.

The money was all there, so Ayame placed it back in the register. With all the scrubbing and dusting and organizing Sango and she did last night, you would think a divine emperor was stopping by today. Hopefully, it would be enough to impress the media when they would surely come with Mr. Houshi this afternoon. InuYasha had been on the phone all day yesterday, talking with various press people, and checking the equipment in the store. Everything seemed perfect…

_-Knock, Knock-_

"Shop's open!" InuYasha called, sharing the same confused look with Ayame.

They watched as it opened and a young man walked in. "Hi, I'm with the police…" he began before he stepped into the light. "I'm here to check the place and make sure—"

"Ookami!" InuYasha snapped, instantly recognizing the black hair and blue eyes.

"Huh?" Kouga responded before looking at the amber-eyed store owner and glaring and growling. "Tetseiga…" he snarled.

"What are you doing here, Ookami? This bookstore has no place for dogs," InuYasha growled.

"Heh, funny YOU should say that…" Kouga smirked, referring to the store owner's name.

InuYasha twitched, realizing Kouga was using his own words against him, before he glared and pointed at him. "Don't change the subject!"

Ignoring the glaring contest that the two men were engaged in, Ayame walked over and got a good look at his face. "Kouga?" she asked.

Hearing his name, he broke off the glare and looked down at the young redhead. "A-Ayame?" he returned, shocked the see the young woman from the day before. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled faintly, trying not to laugh. "I work here… What about you?"

"I'm with the police. My unit's the one protecting Mr. Houshi while he's here," he answered. "I just stopped by to check out the bookstore to make sure it can be secured."

"Keh, it's just fine, Ookami!" InuYasha snapped at him.

Kouga glared back. "I'LL be the judge of that…" he growled.

InuYasha rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'm sick of this…" he grumbled before he began walking to the door. "I'm going for a coffee break… Oh, and Ayame..."

"Yes?" she asked, looking at her boss.

"There's mace under the counter if you need it," he answered before leaving.

Ayame sighed softly and shook her head, trying not to laugh. That was InuYasha for you…

"Ass," Kouga mumbled under his breath.

The young redhead smirked at him. "Only some times," she teased, and Kouga smiled in return. He really had a dashing smile, she decided before she snapped out of her thoughts and shyly smiled at him. "Here, I'll show you around the store and let you know where all the exits are," she offered.

Kouga nodded. "Lead the way," he replied, and she began walking further into the store with him following close behind.

'_Maybe today won't be so bad after all…'_ he thought with a smirk.


End file.
